In a medium soup pot, saute the onions and garlic in the oil until the
onions are translucent. Add the chiles, cumin, and oregano, and saute for
a few more minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and sprinkle with a little
salt. Cover the pot and cook gently until the tomatoes begin to release
their juices. Stir occasionally. This will take longer with winter
tomatoes than with summer ones. Add the stock and simmer, covered, for
about 15 minutes. Add the lime juice and salt to taste.

How to make the soup:
1. Saute first 5 ingredients in a large saucepan.
2. Add remaining ingredients and saute, stirring, 8-10 minutes over medium-low heat.
3. Mix the Soup Base ingredients together to make a paste.
4. Add to other ingredients.
5. Mix, cover and simmer over very low heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
6. Whisk buttermilk into hot soup before serving.
7. For Topping: Slice bananas 1/4 of an inch thick and fry in butter.
8. Add remaining ingredients and fry another minute.
9. Spoon into soup bowls.

The big SOUP party is our yearly excuse to call up our friends, break bread, and share some big SOUP for an evening. Started in 1993, it has remained one of our favorite events of the year. We have been blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives. The big Soup party is a way to keep in touch, have some fun, eat a lot of great food, and celebrate SOUP as the most perfect of culinary inventions.

The event starts at 6:30 PM and we serve SOUP late into the night. Come at any time. Please bring a bowl, a spoon, and a friend. Awards are given at 9:30 for the biggest spoon used, most original bowl, and furthest distance traveled. Be forewarned, competition for these coveted prizes is fierce. Plan early if you wish to compete!

Share the soup...There is a charity component to the big Soup party. We have enjoyed a tremendous amount of food over the past decade of soup parties and it is important to give something back. We will be making a monetary donation to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank on behalf of the big Soup party. There will be a large soup bowl on the main table to collect cash and checks made payable to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank (GPCFB). Or join our cause at http://www.causes.com/causes/566988-bigsoup

There is absolutely no charge to attend the big Soup party and no one should feel required to make a donation via our big bowl. We would like to encourage everyone to consider the tremendous wealth that we all live in and give serious thought to making a donation to help those less fortunate. We will give the collective donation to the GPCFB on Monday December 6th and we will post the total amount raised here on bigsoup.org.